6 Improved Method of planting Vines for forcing. 



be exposed to the external air, I opened the holes, for the 

 reception of the plants, leaving them open upwards of a 

 week, to remove any noxious quality in that part of the com- 

 post which would first receive the roots. 



My planting was executed on the 13th of May, but I con- 

 sider that any period between the 10th of May, and 10th of 

 June, will be equally successful, provided the work be done 

 in seasonable weather, that is, when it is neither wet nor 

 cold. 



At the time of planting, I turned into each hole, a common 

 wheelbarrow-full of very old tan from the Pine-house, in the 

 middle of which tan the roots of my Vine plants remained after 

 the plants had been treated as I shall now describe. I first cut 

 off the leaves from the lower part of the plant, about two feet 

 and a half of its length, leaving about an inch of the footstalk 

 of each on the plant, the end of which was then drawn very 

 carefully through the hole, under the plate, without injuring 

 the tender part of the shoot. The pot being removed, the ball 

 or root of the plant was placed two feet distant from the front 

 of the house, upon its side, so that the stem lay in a horizontal 

 position, about six inches below the level of the surface of the 

 border. When thus placed, the whole of the stem which was 

 to be covered was slit or tongued, at each eye, like a Carna- 

 tion layer, by passing a sharp knife at three quarters of an 

 inch below each eye, and on the side of the eye, about one 

 third of the thickness into the wood, and then upwards to 

 the centre of the joint. This being done, the stem was 

 covered with about four inches of old tan, and the other two 

 inches were filled up with the mould of the border. It is 

 essential to the safety of the plant that the slitting be done 



